Yugoslavian Brutalist Architecture

European war monuments look like artifacts from an ancient alien empire

Few things command a space with the type of awe that a strong piece of architecture will. Artists create imaginary worlds within the enclosed space of a gallery, but architects can actually create the world, leaving behind structures for thousands of years. The images below are of Yugoslavian war memorials—examples of brutalist architecture (béton brut), an offshoot of the modernist movement created by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris (better known as Le Corbusier) that flourished in European nations after the devastation of WWII. Characterized by a raw, unrefined feel and practical construction, brutalist architecture was a chosen for monuments and government buildings because it communicated strength and sensibility in a postmodern world.

The structures below are monolithic, and though created with copious amounts of poured concrete, are beautifully minimal. Nerd out and learn all you can about brutalism a the National Archives or at Wikipedia.